Too Old

Do we ever get too old to practice our profession? With this new world of social media, it seems that in many instances, this might be the case. Those of us who did not spend half of our careers in front of a computer blogging or tweeting or posting, but out in the field, are now realizing that our worn boots might not always make the grade. Knowing the story might not be enough. Everything is digital. Which is great. A tool to marry to traditional. Should it be the "be all and end all?" Those of us who have been there, done that, bought the movie and the T-shirt, and the shirt is ragged because it has been through so many spin cycles, are coming home to realize that one must also tweet the god damn thing. I remember that when I started, I used to run with the soldiers with a reporters notebook tucked in the back of my trousers. The pen was mightier than the platform. With this I am not saying that social media does not have its place. It does. But where do you leave experience? Just asking. But, when the shite hits the fan, who are you going to call?  

Risk

Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing.

Warren Buffet

Sometimes in life, there rises before you a Rubicon. It takes strength and grace to start to cross it when it becomes clear that you have to leap. Without a clear safety net. You just hope that before you hit the ground, your feet come down from under you and you hit it running. There is a fear that impulses and fuels the move. Shut your eyes, leap and feel the abyss. (Some might call this marriage.) I had a guru when I lived in London. She had run with Andy Warhol, or so she said. She had this way of viewing risk, which I thought very interesting, apart from pretty visual. Risk is like being pushed into crossing a desert. Many stay behind and refuse to venture out into that dry, sandy unknown. Those that do dare start walking do so alone, trudging through that quagmire of confusion and apprehension. They feel there is no one else out there. No kindred spirit. But, come the half way mark, they start seeing shadows at their side. Closer to the finish line, they start identifying fellow travelers. Those souls that also dared. Upon the finish line, they come to understand that they have just become members of a very special tribe. Los Cojonudos.

Take a risk. Flaunt the norm. Settling for the ordinary is boring.

Going Home

I lost my ruby red slippers. I can't go back home again. Not the home I knew growing up - the one gift wrapped in my memories. In truth, I don't think that anyone can go home again. What one can do is acknowledge that "home" is where the source is, where everything else stems from.

My "I" lies in Puerto Rico. I was born and raised on the island. The labels used in America - Hispanic, Latina, Minority, were confusing to me. I am Puerto Rican. That is the core I built upon. My journey into adulthood took me to England, the United States, El Salvador, Cuba, Sierra Leone. I am now like a tree whose roots have extended far beyond its base.

I tried to go back about four years ago. I accepted a job in media and decided that I would give back what I had gained in the many years I was away. I soon learned that what I thought was a positive was considered very negative back "home." I was not only perceived as different. To those that had stayed, I had stopped being Puerto Rican. I became somewhat of an anomaly. I soon found out that one can never go home, but must also never look back in anger. Just accept what was, where you started from and confirm where you are. And go from there.

Charlie Sheen

I am a bit confused. Who is using who? Charlie Sheen using the media or the media using Charlie Sheen? So Piers Morgan woke up to his highest ratings since inception after Sheen brought his madness to the chair. His Sheenisms are being compared to poetry and have become the grist of late night jokes. I have to admit that I am fascinated by him and have begun to wonder if this isn't the best acting this side of Jack Nicholson. Tiger blood and warlocks indeed. But I am not so sure that the media should continue to provide him with a venue, seeing that now his small children are involved and it is getting messy. Crazy is great for ratings and Charlie Sheen does it better than anyone. But there is something malevolent and dirty about watching a personal meltdown up close. Something Roman Circusish. The "Goddesses" make me cringe and he looks terrible. Maybe taking away his podium could be a good thing.